The Lamed Vavniks

[There are] forty-five righteous individuals in whose merit the world continues to exist. And although the verse alludes to the fact that thirty of these righteous individuals are in one place and fifteen are elsewhere, I do not know if thirty are here in Babylonia and fifteen are in Eretz Yisrael, or if thirty are in Eretz Yisrael and fifteen are here in Babylonia. When it says in a different verse: “And I took the thirty pieces of silver and cast them into the treasury, in the house of the Lord” (Zechariah 11:13), you must say that thirty of the righteous individuals are in Eretz Yisrael and fifteen are here in Babylonia.

Rabbi Yehuda says: [There are] thirty righteous individuals among the [non-Jewish] nations of the world, in whose merit the nations of the world continue to exist.

And Ḥizkiya said that Rabbi Yirmeya said in the name of Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai: I have seen members of the caste of the spiritually prominent, who are truly righteous, and they are few. If they number one thousand, I and my son are among them. If they number one hundred, I and my son are among them; and if they number two, I and my son are they. The Gemara asks: Are they so few? But didn’t Rava say: There are eighteen thousand righteous individuals in a row before the Holy One, Blessed be He, as it is stated: “Surrounding are eighteen thousand” (Ezekiel 48:35)? Apparently, the righteous are numerous. The Gemara answers: This is not difficult. This statement of Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai is referring to the very few who view the Divine Presence through a bright, mirror-like partition, while that statement of Rava is referring to those who do not view the Divine Presence through a bright partition.

The Gemara asks further: And are those who view the Divine Presence through a bright partition so few? But didn’t Abaye say: The world has no fewer than thirty-six righteous people in each generation who greet the Divine Presence every day, as it is stated: “Happy are all they that wait for Him [lo]” (Isaiah 30:18)? The numerological value of lo, spelled lamed vav, is thirty-six, alluding to the fact that there are at least thirty-six full-fledged righteous individuals in each generation. The Gemara answers: This is not difficult. This statement of Abaye is referring to those who enter to greet the Divine Presence by requesting and being granted permission, while that statement of Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai is referring to those who enter even without requesting permission, for whom the gates of Heaven are open at all times. They are very few indeed.

Kislev: The miracle of the light of the menorah in this month is derived [midrashically] from the Or HaGanuz [the light of the first day of creation, prior to the heavenly lights] that was hidden in the Torah. As mentioned by the Rokeach HaGadol, Lamed Vav (36) candles were established [for Hanukkah because they] correspond to the Lamed Vav (36) times the words Or (light), Ner (candle) and M'orot (Illuminating lights) are mentioned in the Torah, which hints at the 36 hours that Or HaGanuz (hidden light) shined for Adam HaRishon. After these 36 hours, the treasured light was hidden and concealed within the Torah. That is why, in my opinion, the name of the month, in which there is an illumination of the hidden and concealed light within the Torah, is Kislev, Kisui Lamed Vav—the concealed 36 times that light, candles and luminaries [are mentioned in Torah]. This illuminating light is revealed in this month [Kislev]. This also connects to Tevet, Or Ki Tov, the light that is Tov/good.